The present invention concerns pressing irons.
One distinguishes in a schematic manner and from bottom to top of irons, a flat soleplate, a body envelope for active thermal, electric and possibly hydraulic parts, and a handle for manipulating the iron.
The handle is fixed to the rest of the appliance by attachments at the front and/or rear of the iron. In existing versions, the parts, for example molded, make up the parts of the envelope body and of the handle in such a manner that there does not exist a discontinuity between this body and this handle.
The lighter irons only have a connection at the front or at the rear, and the handle is found in a cantilever arrangement as in U.S. Pat. No. D415865, which leads to reinforcing the single connection with the body of the iron, and is not suitable for heavier irons.
The largest irons have a connection of the handle to the body at the front of the iron and at the rear. It follows that the heel of the iron assumes substantial proportions that are unattractive and costly in material. Efforts have been made to remedy this drawback. The patent U.S. Pat. No. D428228 shows an iron in which the connection of the handle to the body is made lighter. The insufficient stability of this iron placed on its heel has required the addition of a ring that augments the polygon of the stability, but also the costs. The patent U.S. Pat. No. D441925 shows an iron in which the rear connection of the handle by the heel is made lighter but the stability of the iron on its heel necessitated forming a curvilinear polygon for support of the heel which is poorly integrated to the rest of the iron. Such a polygon for support of the iron on its heel is found in numerous designs such as that of the model DM/046388. But these designs resolve the problem of the stability of the iron on its heel better when the polygon obtained is large and they are insufficient to lighten the heel of the iron while providing a substantial place for gripping. Other designs show heels of an iron having a cavity at the rear of the heel. These are often cavities required by the connection of the cordless iron on its support. But these cavities do not increase the space for gripping the handle, or diminish the massive aspect of the iron or its material costs.
The object of the invention hereafter is a pressing iron whose handle has at the rear of the iron a connection to the rest of the body of the appliance which provides a maximum of room for manually gripping the iron by the handle, while preserving a good stability of the iron on its heel and the solidity of the connection.
The goal of the invention is achieved by a pressing iron having from bottom to top a heating soleplate, a body delimited by an envelope, a gripping handle connected by its rear end to the body of the iron noteworthy in that the rear connection is mainly composed of at least two arms extending in a substantially symmetrical manner with respect to the median plane of the iron from the handle while diverging to the body of the iron and providing between them an open space.
The arms can be light, of small cross-section, and of small size, thus leaving a maximum space for holding by the handle. They provide between them a space or a cavity open in the longitudinal direction toward the rear on the one hand and toward the handle on the other hand. Viewed from the rear of the iron, the structure obtained is substantially triangular, which renders it very rigid, and relieves, when it exists, the front connection of the handle with the body from torque induced by the hand. This structure is particularly well adapted to transmit to the iron lateral movements of the hand oscillating in a horizontal plane.
Advantageously, the arms are disposed in a manner to generate with the rear of the body a support plane for the iron placed on its heel.
The base of the iron placed on the heel is created by the arms and the bottom of the body, which gives the iron a maximum foundation. A recess formed in the surface for supporting the iron on its heel permits the passage of the power cord when the iron is on its heel.
In a version of the iron according to the invention having a power cord, the outlet thereof is situated in the open space.
In this arrangement, the arms naturally limit deflection of the power cord at the outlet of the body which avoids overly pronounced twisting.
Advantageously, when an iron according to the invention has a power cord, the dimensions of the open space permit the cord to be folded therein and housed with its plug, during storage of the appliance.
Placement or storage is facilitated by the fact that one threads the power cord in the cavity and the arms while avoiding bulging.
The cavity can be arranged for this purpose and has orifices in which one can insert the prongs of the plug. The orifices can be arranged on one of the arms or on a protuberance especially designed for this use.
Usefully, when the iron is a steam iron furnished with a cup for refilling with water, the dimensions of the open space permit housing of the cup, possibly at the same time as the power cord which it contributes to holding in place.
In one version according to the invention of an iron not having a power cord, the iron has connection contacts on the inner wall of the open space.
Usefully, the form of the open space is adapted to that of a support on which it is intended to place the iron.
Thus, the support placed on the working plane is no longer in contact with the hot soleplate. The materials making up the support can be more economical.
According to another version, the dimensions of the open space permit it to receive a funnel intended for refilling a water reservoir of the pressing iron.
The reservoir situated in the body extends from the front toward the rear of the appliance. Filling is made easier. In effect, one then disposes of sufficient space to house a funnel that is large with respect to those that can be formed at the front of the appliance.
The funnel is preferably higher then the reservoir which cannot be emptied by this accessory in the normal position.
In one version, the funnel is furnished with an obturator.
The obturator can be for example a plug that is manually removable, or a pivoting valve that can be closed, at least when the iron is disposed on its heel, in a manner to prevent water in the reservoir from exiting through the funnel.
Preferably, the funnel is connected to the reservoir at the front of the appliance.
The connection at the front prevents the reservoir from emptying when the iron is placed on its heel. In this position, in effect, water collects close to the heel. The connection of the funnel to the reservoir then opens on an air space and the reservoir cannot be emptied through the connection.